• Style/technique: Arts & Crafts handpainted
• Manufacturer: Maw & Co or Shrigley & Hunt*
• Designed by: William Scott Morton, Morton & Co.*
• Dimensions: 6" x 6"
• Date: circa 1880

This superb design of an eagle in a natural spreadeagle pose perched on flowing flower branches is full of life. The design fills the tile without being burdensome, the mark of a great designer. This tile was fitted into a bespoke cast iron fireplace with brass decoration marked in the casting verso "Designed by W Scott Morton". The tiles bear a good resemblance to tiles by Shrigley and Hunt with whom Scott Morton was associated and are surely a limited perhaps exclusive design unlikely to be found again.

William Scott Morton was a well known figure in architecture and design circles in the 1870s and 1880s working for and with various companies and noted designers including the noted tile designer John Moyr Smith on the interior work of Overtoun House at Dumbarton. It seems very likely that he designed these tiles as well as the fireplace that they were removed from and that they were decorated in the Lancaster works of Shrigley & Hunt.

William Scott Morton (1840 - 1903) was a prolific architect and designer and somewhat of a prodigy as from the age of nineteen he was successful in selling designs to carpet and lace manufacturers, within a few years he obtained an entrée to Royal Academy circles. He moved from Carluke to London around 1859 where he remained for about eight years before returning to Scotland, in 1870 Scott Morton and his younger brother John set up business in Edinburgh as Morton & Co, William practising as architect and designer and John in charge of the workshops of the cabinet-making, wall-paper manufacturing and interior design business. By 1881 Scott Morton had ceased to practice architecture as such, in July of that year he became the Scottish agent of Shrigley & Hunt and was a stockist of Falkirk Iron Company fireplaces and accessories,

On Maw & Co cream clay body from the earlier Broseley works (pre 1885), similar in style and characteristic colours of Shrigley and Hunt.

Condition: Very good
Price: £95 (approx $195)
Ref: 01113

There is a very small slice off the bottom left corner and a few small/tiny chips around the edges (the one near the middle of the left edge is a glazed over manufacturing imperfection) and some wear to the decoration.

Condition: Excellent
Price: £120 (approx $245)
Ref: 01386

There are about half a dozen small/tiny chips around the edges and a little wear to the decoration near the bottom edge. Some very light discolouration in the crazing.

The image is full size at 72 dpi (about 430 pixels wide) in maximum quality JPEG format. A larger 120 dpi image also in maximum quality JPEG format can be forwarded by email if required.

The image is a little oversize rather than cropped close to the edges so that the edges can easily be seen and any chips etc can be quickly spotted. Other marks described are usually not visible at all when the tile is viewed straight as one normally sees it and can only be seen with a critical eye when the tile is tilted to catch imperfections in reflected light. For more details of how we describe marks see Condition.